Cappadocia Area President Birol İnceciköz confirmed that restoration efforts have already begun across the fairy chimneys, and that landscaping projects for other key sites, such as Paşabağlar, are being designed. “Fairy chimneys are formed by natural processes, and they also deteriorate over time,” İnceciköz explained. “We will make sure visitor safety is maintained and will monitor the situation closely with experts.”

The commission determined that intervening with artificial support to prevent the chimney’s collapse would go against the natural processes that shape these formations. Instead, they will let nature take its course, ensuring safety measures are put in place to protect visitors from any potential hazards.

Additionally, the inspections highlighted concerns over damage to frescoes in the St. Barbara Chapel at the Göreme Open Air Museum. Water seepage through cracks in the chapel’s structure has caused damage to its historic artwork, exacerbated by outdated repair methods involving wires and nails, which have degraded over the past 20 years.

“We have consulted with specialists and non-governmental organizations to determine the best approach to repair the cracks that are allowing water to damage the frescoes,” İnceciköz stated, noting that the goal is to protect these invaluable pieces of cultural heritage while respecting their historical integrity.

Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is renowned for its fairy chimneys, rock-hewn churches, and other ancient landmarks, drawing millions of tourists each year. Preservation efforts remain a top priority as authorities continue to balance the region’s natural evolution with the need to protect its rich history.

Source: Hürriyet Daily News

The post UNESCO Allows Natural Collapse of Fairy Chimney in Cappadocia appeared first on Fethiye Times.

Volcanic activity that began roughly 14 million years ago laid the foundation for the jagged landscape we see today. A series of eruptions showered what is now Central Anatolia with ash, which solidified into thick layers of tuff — a type of light, porous rock. Subsequent explosions then coated the tuff with lava that hardened into a tough, basalt crust. The chimneys, technically called “hoodoos,” formed over the eons as wind and water went to work on the rocks, wearing down the tuff and leaving behind only pillars. The basalt eroded more slowly, which is why many of the chimneys are capped with mushroom-like basalt tops to this day.

Nature did the heavy lifting, but humans also helped to shape the fairy chimneys. The landscape is honeycombed with caves and tunnels dating as far back as the Hittites, who inhabited the area between 1800 and 1200 B.C., according to National Geographic. Central Anatolia later straddled the boundaries of rival empires — including the Greek, Persian, Byzantine and Roman empires — and frequent turmoil drove the region’s residents to dig out hiding places among and beneath the spires. Christians fleeing persecution in ancient Rome even carved churches and monasteries out of the soft stone, expanding cave and tunnel networks into sprawling underground cities.

The density of living quarters hidden among the fairy chimneys is so vast it is “one of the world’s most striking and largest cave-dwelling complexes,” according to UNESCO. The agency inscribed Göreme National Park and the rock sites at Cappadocia on its list of World Heritage Sites in 1985.

The fairy chimneys have also been dubbed “the world’s most unusual high-rise neighborhood” by National Geographic.

Written by Sascha Pare for Live Science

The post Fairy Chimneys: The stone spires in Türkiye that form ‘the world’s most unusual high-rise neighbourhood’ appeared first on Fethiye Times.

Mention fairy chimneys and thoughts turn immediately to Cappadocia. These extraordinary mushroom-shaped rock formations have become the most recognised symbol of Cappadocia.

But fairy chimneys can also be found in other places in Anatolia.

Çankırı

A brief history

Çankırı is the capital city of Çankırı Province, and is located in the Inner Anatolian Regions’s entrance to the Black Sea, about 140 km northeast of Ankara. It is situated about 800 m (2500 ft) above sea level.

Çankırı was known in antiquity as Gangra, and later Germanicopolis. The city has also been known as Changra, Kandari or Kanghari. Over the centuries the settlement witnessed the many cultures and races from the Hittites to Ottoman Turks. 

Although extensive scientific and archeological work has not been done so far, the remains in the ancient burial mounds show that Çankırı has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age (7000 – 5000 B.C.). Traces of the Old Bronze Age (3000 – 2000 B.C.) are evident in the whole region and many signs of Hittite life remain around the Kızılırmak river area and also most of the streams leading from this river. 

The Galatians named the city Gangrea and various pronunciations over the years caused the present variation. In Galatian the word Gangrea means “Place of Many Goats”.

Çankırı has many attractions

Mostly popular with Turkish tourists, Çankırı has many attractions such as  national parks, natural monuments, caves, museums, and ruins as well as shopping areas.

The Çankırı Fortress stands on a small hill to the north of the city. It has stood strong throughout the Roman, Byzantine, Danishmend, Seljuk and Ottoman eras, even though only a few walls remain today. The four-cornered shaped castle was built from a variety of rubble stone and bricks. 

1,300ft below the hilly countryside around Çankırı is a stunning salt mine which was first dug by primitive humans around 5,000 years ago and is still in use today. 

Fairy chimneys of Çankırı 

Although there are nearly 150 fairy chimneys in the valley, Çankırı is not known for its chimneys. The area was listed as a protected area in 1990 and remains one of the hidden wonders of central Anatolia.

The fairy chimneys are located in the Devrez Stream Valley of Çankırı , an area that is popular with visitors interested in fishing or trekking.

The Çankırı Tourism Association plan to reveal this hidden natural treasure to the world, hoping to attract more foreign tourists to the area.

The propose to build a road and a bridge across the Devrez stream, providing visitors with easy access to the site where the fairy chimneys dot the landscape. The association have also suggested a recreation area be built on the site.

In order to protect the site, signs raising awareness about pollution will be erected in certain parts of the valley. 

Once the infrastructure work is done, Devrez Stream Valley and its fairy chimneys will be a major tourist attraction in the region.

Sources: news.com.tr/seturbiz.com/Çankırı Ticaret Borsası

The post Fairy chimneys of Çankırı – a hidden wonder of Anatolia appeared first on Fethiye Times.